Image
Lignards Venaus Villarodin
Image
Lignards Venaus Villarodin

About RTE

Corporate
arrow
RTE is France’s transmission system operator, in charge of an impressive infrastructure: more than 105 000 km of high and ultra-high-voltage lines spanning the whole of France and 50 interconnections with neighbouring European countries.

 

RTE is renowned for its expertise. It has been operating, maintaining and developing this grid for 20 years, while constantly balancing supply and demand, second by second.

RTE is a public utility which provides all competing power-generation facilities with non-discriminatory access to the grid.

RTE informs the decisions of the public authorities who make energy policy. It also educates the members of the general public, helping them to gain a better understanding of electricity so that they can use it more efficiently.

Playing a central role within the French and European power systems, RTE is a vital economic partner of businesses and regions, a pivotal player in the energy transition and the move towards renewable energy sources, and a firm proponent of Europe-wide electrical solidarity.
 

Just one second for the current to flow – Watch the video to learn more about RTE

Image
Film institutionnel RTE - Pour qu'à chaque seconde le courant passe : nous sommes là
RTE's corporate presentation video

Titre
RTE key figures

105,817 km
of power lines, the biggest grid in Europe
99.9994 %
power supply continuity
9,586
employees including 470 apprenticeships

4,926 M€
of revenue in 2022
40 M€
worth of investment committed to R&D
92 %
customer satisfaction rate in 2022

The role of the transmission system in the French and European electricity framework


The transmission network links electricity producers to the consumers and links France to its European neighbours, through an impressive accomplishment: guaranteeing the constant balance between production and consumption and between imports and exports. 
 

Image
Paths of the electricity

Titre
Key dates

2000
Establishment of the transmission system operator
A piece of legislation was enacted requiring the establishment of a transmission system operator, separate from the generation utility. That brought an end to the monopoly of EDF who had previously held both mandates.
2005
Birth of RTE
RTE is a limited company and a wholly owned subsidiary of EDF. Its articles of association guarantee its neutrality with regard to all power-generation facilities.
2016
Change in ownership
RTE’s capital was transferred to CTE (Coentreprise de Transport d’Electricité), jointly owned by EDF (50.1%), the Caisse des Dépôts (29.9%) and CNP Assurances (20%).

Titre
And what about tomorrow?

2025
The corporate Impulsion & Vision project
This project addresses the future industrial challenges facing the company.
2050
Aiming for carbon neutrality
RTE is exploring potential scenarios for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Liste d'items image
Ouvrage RTE_albertville
Directoire RTE
RTE, a responsible and committed corporation
Governance
As a public utility, RTE’s DNA is imbued with strong values of transparency, respect and sensitivity to the needs of others. On a day-to-day basis, it works hard to reduce its environmental footprint, to enlarge its societal footprint, to protect its workforce, and to foster close ties and constructive dialogue with its customers, its suppliers and the regions across which its power lines run.
A limited company with an executive board and an oversight council, RTE has specific features pertaining to its role as France’s transmission system operator (TSO). Its articles of association and its modes of governance ensure that it remains autonomous, independent and neutral.
Ouvrage RTE_albertville
RTE, a responsible and committed corporation
As a public utility, RTE’s DNA is imbued with strong values of transparency, respect and sensitivity to the needs of others. On a day-to-day basis, it works hard to reduce its environmental footprint, to enlarge its societal footprint, to protect its workforce, and to foster close ties and constructive dialogue with its customers, its suppliers and the regions across which its power lines run.
Directoire RTE
Governance
A limited company with an executive board and an oversight council, RTE has specific features pertaining to its role as France’s transmission system operator (TSO). Its articles of association and its modes of governance ensure that it remains autonomous, independent and neutral.
Liste d'items image
Maintenance sur un pylône
Pylône fougère RTE
The corporate “Impulsion et Vision” project
Finance
From the European Union to France’s regions, the ambitions being sought by the energy transition are considerable and will result in profound changes being made to the whole of the electrical landscape. In response to these changes and its customers’ new expectations, RTE has to adapt, prepare itself and reinvent itself in order to play an active role in driving these future changes.
RTE discharges its duties as a public utility within the framework of a regulated monopoly. In consideration of this, most of its revenues come from the price it charges for the use of the transmission system, the amount of which is set by France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). RTE pays close attention to these financial and economic balances in order to be able to fund its investments as well as its grid operation and maintenance activities, whilst continuing to offer a service at the most affordable cost, thereby helping to boost the competitive strength of economic players and to safeguard the public’s purchasing power.
Maintenance sur un pylône
The corporate “Impulsion et Vision” project
From the European Union to France’s regions, the ambitions being sought by the energy transition are considerable and will result in profound changes being made to the whole of the electrical landscape. In response to these changes and its customers’ new expectations, RTE has to adapt, prepare itself and reinvent itself in order to play an active role in driving these future changes.
Pylône fougère RTE
Finance
RTE discharges its duties as a public utility within the framework of a regulated monopoly. In consideration of this, most of its revenues come from the price it charges for the use of the transmission system, the amount of which is set by France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). RTE pays close attention to these financial and economic balances in order to be able to fund its investments as well as its grid operation and maintenance activities, whilst continuing to offer a service at the most affordable cost, thereby helping to boost the competitive strength of economic players and to safeguard the public’s purchasing power.